


the fine line between jokes and feelings

by peppermintbeom (assnnie)



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Confessions, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, No Smut, Pranks, Regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27756661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assnnie/pseuds/peppermintbeom
Summary: Things don’t go well when staff decides to make TXT play pranks on each other. Who said it’s okay to mix jokes with love confessions?It’s for the fans.But Kai ends up doing it for himself.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Huening Kai
Comments: 4
Kudos: 58





	the fine line between jokes and feelings

**Author's Note:**

> lord have mercy on my soul i can’t stop writing

It’s just for the fans.

Kai repeats that phrase in his mind until his head starts to ache. But he has to remind himself. It’s just for the fans. It’s just for the fans. He should do it for the fans. 

Just like all the other members are doing it for the fans. It’s a little unoriginal, maybe, but they need more content to fill the empty gap between comebacks. They can’t let their fans down.

The fans.

They’ll love it. 

Right, Kai is going to do something good. Something that’ll entertain his fans, his precious MOA. Yeah, it’s okay. 

It was okay when Yeonjun tried to live a whole day by only eating other’s food. When he wasn’t allowed to get something for himself. When he bursted into Soobin and Taehyun’s Vlive just to snatch their snacks. It was okay, ‘cause at the end of the day staff told the confused members that it was just a prank - and Yeonjun was allowed to order food back at the dorm. 

Or when Taehyun pretended to be mad at everyone. Even the staff members got confused and scolded him for being disrespectful, but Taehyun couldn’t break character, so it dared to escalate until the knowing staff had to debunk the situation. Huening Kai remembers how worried he had been. He thought Taehyun was seriously upset. But it was just a prank. 

And that’s when the members understood the whole concept. Pranks with hidden cameras. A known concept in the idol world. It was just a matter of time until they reached that stage. 

  
  
  


So now, it was Huening’s turn. 

It’s for the fans.

He knocks on the studio door. 

  
  
  


“Who is it?” Beomgyu’s voice calls from the inside. 

“It’s Huening!” Kai replies, loud enough so his voice would reach Beomgyu on the other side. 

Silence. 

Kai knows that move, but it never works with him. So he opens the door and greets his hyung cheerfully. The latter sighs. 

“I didn’t say you could come in.”

Kai ignores the remark. “What are you doing?”

“Working on a song.” 

“Oh, which one?”

“A new one.”

“How’s it going?”

Beomgyu hums. “I’m a little stuck… but it’s okay. I wanted to take a break anyway. So, what did you come here for?” he asks, eyes still glued to the screen. Kai sits down on the little couch, peeks at the hidden camera on the shelf, his hands getting sweaty at the thought of what he’a about to do. 

“I came to talk.” 

Beomgyu turns his head and it seems like Kai’s expression is convincing enough to make the older close the open tabs on the screen and make his way to him, letting his sore body plop down next to him. The younger clears his throat.

And looks at Beomgyu.

  
  
  


Shit. He can’t do this. 

  
  


He bursts into tiny giggles and bends forward, his hands wrapping around Beomgyu’s waist as he drops his head and buries it in Beomgyu’s chest. The latter is quick to pat Kai’s head with one hand and his back with the other. 

“What’s up with you?” he asks, adding a little “cute” under his breath when he feels Kai rubbing him with his hands. 

  
  
  


It’s for the fans.

  
  
  
  


“I love you, Beomgyu-hyung.” he says, his voice muffled in Beomgyu’s shirt, but Beomgyu still hears it clearly. 

“I know, I know,” he replies, “but what do you want to tell me? I’m waiting.”

Kai shakes his head. “I mean it.”

Beomgyu doesn’t get it. “Hm?” is the only sound he makes before Kai sits upright again, finally meeting his eyes as he speaks. 

“Hyung, I… I think I like you, like, I mean, I have… a crush on you.”

  
  


Kai can’t help but smile, he thinks he messed up, the prank is over, Beomgyu gets it. But to his surprise, the older seems to buy it. It must be the blush on his cheeks (seriously, how did the heat crawl up his face anyway? It’s just for the fans). 

Beomgyu looks like he’s deep in thought, trying to process those words, thinking of ways to respond. How do you handle such a situation? He knows that thousands of girls and boys all around the world are crazy in love with him, but hearing it from Kai…. 

It feels different, but he doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s the fact that with Kai, it could actually work. He could never date a fan, no matter how pretty or nice or sincere they are. But Kai’s right here, right next to him, at the company, in the dorms. 

“Have you told anyone?” 

Kai shakes his head. His face is most definitely red now. Beomgyu bought it. The prank is still on. 

“Then…” 

  
  


Beomgyu’s ears get red and he attempts to cover them with his hair.

“What is it that you like about me, Kai-ah?” 

The answers pool in Kai’s mind like a waterfall. This is easy. 

“I like the way you take care of me and… how you’re always so kind to anyone you meet… and how hardworking you are, it really inspires and motivates me and… I like it when you’re being silly and funny…” 

He stops, notices his gaze fell down so he looks at Beomgyu again. 

“I also think you’re cute all the time…” 

Kai laughs. This is so embarrassing. He mumbles a little ‘sorry’. Maybe he’s gone too far. 

Beomgyu just stares into his eyes. It’s cute, the way he looks at Kai. Those round eyes make him look like a puppy. It looks like he’s holding a whole galaxy inside of him. 

Kai has no time to think when Beomgyu leans forward, a hand on his thigh to keep him steady, soft lips pressing against his own all of a sudden. He’s frozen until Beomgyu moves his lips - sends all these unknown feelings through Huening’s body. The younger pulls away immediately, eyes wide in shock. “Hyung?!”

  
  


Beomgyu just grins. 

“Sorry, I should’ve asked before doing that…”

There‘s no doubt that Kai‘s heart is bursting in his chest continuously, but he‘s given no time to process what‘s happening to him, because Beomgyu is already on his feet, taking Kai‘s hand and pulling him up with him, the smile on his face not fading even one bit. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


This is bad. 

Beomgyu pulls him through the hallways and Kai is awfully aware of the footsteps behind them - the staff with little cameras to capture every moment of the prank. Kai feels nauseous. He knows it‘s gotten too far, he should tell Beomgyu it‘s part of a prank. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Hyung! It‘s just a prank, calm down… _

  
  
  
  
  


_ I didn‘t mean it. _

  
  
  
  
  
  


Kai practises the lines in his head.

  
  
  
  
  
  


But they sound so wrong.

They feel so wrong. 

  
  
  
  


Beomgyu‘s voice pulls him back into reality. He greets the managers politely, giggles when they ask what‘s going on, his face blushing red. 

_ Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit _ . 

The staff bursts through the door behind them, without knocking, and quickly put a hand on Beomgyu‘s shoulder as they deliver the news. 

“This is just a prank, Beomgyu-ssi. It‘s not real.”

They must’ve noticed Kai couldn’t handle the situation himself. 

  
  
  
  
  


Beomgyu apologizes to the managers and forces out a laugh, even though he’d rather take those cameras shoved up his face and smash them to the ground. 

Kai’s mouth is sealed. 

And Beomgyu leaves the room, footsteps quick and full of force, anger. Kai follows him desperately. 

“Hyung!” he calls, “Hyung, listen! I’m sorry!”

“Leave me alone,” Beomgyu bites back, smacks Kai’s hand away when he tries to grab his shoulder. 

“I can explain this, hyung! Just give me a chance—“

“Don’t yell at me, Kai. I want to be alone.”

Kai doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do at this point. He doesn’t want to leave Beomgyu with the wrong beliefs. So he reaches for his wrist and holds it tightly as he pulls him to a halt. 

“Hyung!!” he yells, brows furrowed and voice fierce, but his gaze softens when he sees Beomgyu’s teary eyes staring at him, daring to spill any moment. 

“Fucking bastard…” Beomgyu says, but his voice breaks into a whisper, and he finds the strength to free himself from Kai’s grasp and walk away. Kai doesn’t chase after him anymore. His eyes start to sting. 

  
  


He hurt the one person he wanted to protect the most. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Beomgyu doesn’t show up to their last scheduled dance practice. Their instructor says he’s gone home early. That he doesn’t feel well. Kai feels even worse, and it shows in his performance, and the other members notice it too, and nothing works and they make more mistakes and everyone’s frustrated so they call it a day after roughly 40 minutes. 

But the members don’t question it too much. They’ve had days like this once in a while. When things don’t work out they rest and try again tomorrow. No big deal. And Kai’s glad it worked that way, ‘cause how could he have explained to them what happened between Beomgyu and him. 

  
  


So they arrive at their home, grab a few last snacks and check their last messages on their phones before getting ready for bed. 

Kai needs to try again. So he knocks on Beomgyu’s and Soobin’s shared door, but gets no answer. He tries to open it, but it’s locked from the inside. Even later, when Soobin wants to go to sleep after eating a bowl of ice cream, Beomgyu doesn’t open the door. Maybe he’s sleeping. 

That’s why Soobin joins Kai in his bed, but the usual comfort the older gives him disappeared that night. He still feels like shit. He can’t think about anything else but Beomgyu. How he played with his feelings. How he hurt him. 

  
  


He doesn’t fall asleep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After hours of laying wide awake in his bed, he hears a noise. It sounds like someone opening a door. He sits up. It could be Beomgyu. He has to get up and check. 

Soobin groans when Kai crawls over him, tries to get out of his bed without tripping over his body, and tip toes his way out of the bedroom, into their small hallway, following the noises coming from… the kitchen? 

That’s where Beomgyu kneels in front of their small fridge, the only source of light in the dark room, and shrieks when he notices Kai coming closer, taking a tangerine and throwing it at him. It hits Kai right on his tummy. 

“Go away!!” Beomgyu whispers, but Kai doesn’t listen. Instead he switches on the lights, exposing Beomgyu’s swollen red eyes and runny nose. He throws another tangerine. And another. Kai tries to catch them. 

“Stop throwing food at me!”

“I told you to go away! Leave me alone!”

“I’ll leave you alone if you let me explain myself,” Kai offers, and Beomgyu stops throwing the orange fruits, sniffs, and then puts them back into the fridge. “Fine…” he mumbles, lips pouty and voice sounding rough and sleepy. He must be tired. Kai helps him pick up the fruits and sits down next to him. 

“Listen, hyung,” Kai starts, but stops when Beomgyu’s eyes finally meet his again, and he wants to cry but he swallows his tears to keep going, “listen, that prank was stupid, and I knew it was. Pranks should never involve feelings. I should’ve asked the staff for something else, but I didn’t, and I’m sorry. I really, really am, hyung.” 

He stops and Beomgyu nods, waits for him to keep going. 

“And I was supposed to end the prank in the studio, but after confessing I couldn’t even think about saying that it’s not true. I think… I mean, I’m not sure ‘cause I’ve never had a crush before, but I think I really meant it, hyung. Everything I said I meant from the bottom of my heart.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better or whatever…” Beomgyu protests. 

“I’m not, trust me. I’m not.” Kai repeats. Beomgyu can tell he’s honest when he looks serious like that. But it’s hard to give in after all that’s happened. 

“Really?” 

“Really.” 

Beomgyu pauses. “Promise?” he asks as he holds out his pinky finger. 

Kai quickly intertwines his pinky with Beomgyu’s. “Promise.” 

“Okay. Prove it then.”

“What?”

“Prove that you meant everything you told me, that you like me,” Beomgyu explains.

“How?”

Beomgyu taps his lips with his finger a few times and Kai’s heart beats faster when he gets it. 

“Right now? Right here?” he asks, eyes wide and shaking. Beomgyu nods. “Unless you’re breaking your promise.” 

Kai gulps. He’s not used to being the one making the first move, but it excites him to the point that his fingers shake when he reaches for Beomgyu’s neck to hold, and maybe the older thinks he’s scared but it’s okay. They’ll get used to this. He brings his face closer and Beomgyu watches him. 

“Close your eyes, Beomgyu-hyung,” he whispers and Beomgyu does as he’s told, and now that his eyes are not piercing through his skull he manages to bring their lips together. It’s soft and sweet, and a little wet ‘cause Beomgyu’s nose is still running. But it’s nice. And too short when Kai pulls away again. 

“Was that okay?” the younger asks. 

“You’ve got a lot to learn. You’re terrible.”

“Teach me then.” 

Beomgyu smiles shyly. “Not now, we should go to sleep.” 

Kai agrees. They leave the kitchen and retreat in Beomgyu’s room, share his bed until his alarm wakes them up and confirms that last night was indeed reality and not a dream. 

It’ll be hard, telling their managers and handling a relationship in the world that they live in. But they only just started, they can make things work. They’ve got trust in each other. 

  
  
  


And as long as they got that, who’s there to stop them? 

**Author's Note:**

> i almost cried while writing this  
> did u cry? if yes, i’m glad  
> thank you for reading! leave me a nice comment pls (or call me insane, i’ll appreciate both the same amount)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/annieo3)


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